Through viewing a
video on prehistoric archaeology and performing related activities, students
learn about the importance of careful data collection. Without written
records, the artifacts of a past civilization must supply historical information.
Unless artifacts are carefully cataloged, vital information about their
context is lost. In the classroom, students develop a system of cataloging
objects using coordinate mapping to indicate where objects are located.
Students also participate in an online discussion with real-life archaeologists
where they can ask questions related to the video.

1) The day
before the pre-activity, ask each student to bring a shoebox to school
containing five items or "artifacts" that demonstrate who they are. Items
can include photographs, letters, stuffed animals, awards, jewelry, sports
equipment, etc. Refer to the shoeboxes as "Cultural Artifact Boxes."

2) The day
of the pre-activity, place the students into groups of two. After they
have been paired off, have the students trade artifact boxes with their
partners. After they have traded boxes, inform the students that they
have journeyed to the year 2150 and their partner is no longer living.
With no verbal explanations exchanged between partners, the students will
analyze each item in their partner's box in order to develop a written
summary of what their partner might have been like. Emphasize the fact
that written or oral information cannot be exchanged during this period
of time!

3) Following
the artifact analysis and interpretation, have the students read their
summaries to their partners. After this point, they can ask each other
questions for clarification purposes.
Note: While explaining the activity, write the following instructions
on the board:
i) Exchange boxes. Pretend your partner is no longer alive.
ii) Quietly write down each artifact (analyze).
iii) Write a few sentences about your partner (interpret).
iv) Read the summary to your partner.
v) Ask questions. Was the summary accurate?

4) Following
the activity, discuss the difficulty of the artifact analysis task. Was
it difficult not being able to converse? Relate this task to how historians
and scientists piece together the events of the past. Emphasize the fact
that the careful collection and analysis of data is crucial when creating
an accurate historical picture. Relate this conclusion to the focus for
viewing the film segment.

FOCUS
FOR VIEWING

To give a specific
responsibility while viewing, ask students to note why it is important
to collect careful information when analyzing data.

VIEWING
ACTIVITIES

Using The Challenge
of the Unknown Anasazi video segment (approximately 3 minutes and 40 seconds
total running time): PAUSE the video following the first discussion
by archaeologist Randy Morrison and before the transition to the discussion
on the 1890s. Discuss the term archaeology so that the students understand
the work that Morrison is performing. Discuss why Morrison's job is so
difficult in this instance (no historic records or traditional stories).
Following this discussion, have the students write the term and its definition
in their math/science journals.

RESUME VIDEO
& PAUSE the video after the discussion on the 1890s and before
the transition to the next Anasazi ruin. Discuss what the archeologists
in the past should have done differently (record information in context).
Discuss how the unsophisticated techniques of the past made data gathering
difficult for today's archaeologists.

RESUME VIDEO
& PAUSE the video after Morrison discusses evidence, saying they
are "never going to get a conviction out of this." Discuss the term artifact
distribution (the way things are laid out) and how an archeologist could
carefully build evidence for a case using available artifacts. Following
this discussion, have the students record the term and its definition
in their journals.

Following the conclusion
of the video, discuss the term controlled sample (knowing exactly where
samples come from). Discuss the quote "trash never lies" and ask students
to consider what their "trash" would reveal about them.

Have students record
the term and its definition in their journals. Have the students write
a short reflection on the video, using all three terms and answering the
focus for viewing question.

POST
VIEWING ACTIVITIES

In the video, archaeologist
Randy Morrison suggested that it is important to determine the location
of an artifact when finding out about the people who used it.

One way that archaeologists
record the locations of artifacts is to treat them as points on a grid.
An area of exploration can be divided into equal squares, like a piece
of graph paper, and the location of found artifacts can be recorded using
coordinates. This is similar to coordinate geometry, which describes the
location of a point on a plane by giving its distance from a pair of perpendicular
lines called axes.

In this activity,
students map their classroom. They imagine that each desk in the classroom
is a square on a piece of graph paper with a pair of lines, the x and
y axes, running through the middle rows of the classroom. The axes separate
the room into quadrants. The classroom consists of 7 X 5 desks, evenly
spaced.

Using graph paper,
the students map the classroom, identifying with coordinates the locations
of at least 6 desks and 10 "artifacts" in the classroom (books, chalk,
etc.). They then switch graphs with a partner and try to find each other's
"artifacts" using the identified coordinates. If an object's coordinates
are incorrect, the student who created the map must make corrections.

In groups of no more
than four, students will interact online with a group of six archaeologists.
Student groups must have at least six teacher-approved questions written
beforehand. The discussion must include the concepts of artifact distribution
and controlled sample.

CROSS-CURRICULAR
EXTENSIONS (SOCIAL STUDIES)

Using current journal
articles and online information, students research recent discoveries/hypotheses
made about the Anasazi Indians, including theories on why they disappeared.
Focus topics include trade, roadways, ceremonial great houses, and kivas.

For additional lesson
plans and ideas relating to this topic and many others try TeacherSource
at PBS Online! You will find activities, lesson plans, teacher guides
and links to other great educational web sites! Search the database by
keyword, grade level or subject area! Mathline
and Scienceline
are also great resources for teachers seeking teaching tips, lesson plans,
assessment methods, professional development, and much more!

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